The following description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
Pension and retirement planning is an important part of ensuring an individual's or family's long-term well being. Unfortunately, pension planning requires the consideration of many variables, both in the present and projected into the future. As such, it can be very difficult for a person to properly understand their long-term predicted needs and whether their pension plan adequately addresses those long-term needs, as well how any changes to the pension plan can ripple through their projections. A better approach would provide pension planning in a metaphorical manner that would be easier for an individual to consume.
Others have put forth efforts towards systems and methods to simplify complicated financial decisions. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,783,552 to Assia, et al, titled “Method and System for Representing Financial Information in a Gaming Environment”, issued Aug. 24, 2010, discusses game overlays based on casino-style games of chance (e.g. roulette, slot machines, etc.) for financial transactions. In Assia, the user's interaction is limited to the input of a stock bet. Assia does not discuss metaphors for benefit planning, or the ability for a user to have input mid-game, and changing the metaphor outcome and real-world outcome based on these mid-game user inputs.
WO 2011/114281 to Penson, titled “System and Method for Real Time Trading Computer Game”, published Sep. 22, 2011, discusses a game for real-time trading, where visual objects represent stocks, and the visual appearance of the objects changes based on real-world changes of the stocks. In Penson, the user's interactions are limited to buying or selling stocks. Further, Penson fails to discuss any long-term projections or representations of the effects of the user's actions.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,243,074 to Kilat, et al, titled “Method and System for Providing a Personalized and Dynamic Financial Caricature Graphic”, issued Aug. 14, 2012, discusses a caricature avatar representing a person's financial state, which changes as the person's financial state changes. Kilat fails to discuss any benefit planning, projections or long-term estimations of the avatar or of a user's financial state based on decisions, or any direct interaction of a user with the avatar after the avatar generation that is reflected in the real-world financial state.
A non-patent reference “Barclays Pension Jungle”, published Mar. 11, 2012 (hereinafter “Barclays”; see URL www.andrewhennessey.com/illustration for illustrates and character design for Barclays Bank, Journey through the Pension Jungle) illustrates presenting pension information in the form of a jungle map. However, Barclays fails to disclose any discussion or implementation of the map beyond an illustrative example, such as any interactive elements.
All publications herein are incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application were specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. Where a definition or use of a term in an incorporated reference is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply.
In some embodiments, the numbers expressing quantities of ingredients, properties such as concentration, reaction conditions, and so forth, used to describe and claim certain embodiments of the invention are to be understood as being modified in some instances by the term “about.” Accordingly, in some embodiments, the numerical parameters set forth in the written description and attached claims are approximations that can vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by a particular embodiment. In some embodiments, the numerical parameters should be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques. Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of some embodiments of the invention are approximations, the numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely as practicable. The numerical values presented in some embodiments of the invention may contain certain errors necessarily resulting from the standard deviation found in their respective testing measurements.
As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” includes plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in the description herein, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
The recitation of ranges of values herein is merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range. Unless otherwise indicated herein, each individual value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g. “such as”) provided with respect to certain embodiments herein is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element essential to the practice of the invention.
Groupings of alternative elements or embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are not to be construed as limitations. Each group member can be referred to and claimed individually or in any combination with other members of the group or other elements found herein. One or more members of a group can be included in, or deleted from, a group for reasons of convenience and/or patentability. When any such inclusion or deletion occurs, the specification is herein deemed to contain the group as modified thus fulfilling the written description of all Markush groups used in the appended claims.
Thus, there is still a need for a system that simplifies the complexities of benefit management via the use of metaphors while accurately communicating the real-world significance and effects of a user's actions on the benefit as a part of a user's actions within the metaphor.